Abu Dhabi Launches 2nd Edition of Ra'idah for Women-Led SMEs

The Abu Dhabi Business Women's Council (ADBWC) in partnership with Publicis Groupe Middle East has revealed plans to launch the second edition of Ra'idah, which is slated for September 2026. It is a programme designed to support women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Abu Dhabi through business development, mentoring, and leadership training.

The programme seeks to enhance the success rate of the initial programme by fostering the expansion of women-owned SMEs in Abu Dhabi through training and mentoring to build the competencies required to grow businesses to boost the economy of the Emirate.

The second edition of Ra'idah comes with an advanced and immersive program which will enable women entrepreneurs to learn practical lessons that will have business impact. Selected women entrepreneurs will undergo a comprehensive selection process that will be jointly carried out by ADBWC and Publicis Groupe Middle East.

The selected candidates will take part in a rigorous two-day in-person academy where they will receive training in crucial aspects of business development, marketing, leadership, and brand creation. The candidates will also get one-on-one mentoring sessions by experts from the industry prior to pitching their business ideas in Falcon Tank, the signature pitching event of the program.

Key Highlights:

• Ra'idah returns to accelerate women-led SMEs across Abu Dhabi
• Two-day  training  program offers AI training, mentoring, and Falcon Tank pitching
• Winning women entrepreneurs receive paid media funding for growth

Winners of the business campaigns will get paid media money that will enable the entrepreneurs to boost brand visibility and market reach.

The launch of the second version of Ra'idah comes at a time when more emphasis is being placed on companies run by women in Abu Dhabi, which underscores the strategy of the Emirate of encouraging entrepreneurship, innovation, and development. The increasing number of women entrepreneurs who are forming successful companies in different industries makes Ra'idah an effective platform for entrepreneurs to develop their leadership skills and create businesses that will play an integral role in the knowledge-based economy of Abu Dhabi.

Asma Al Fahim, Chairwoman of the Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council, said, "Empowering women-led businesses remains one of the most strategic investments we can make in the future of Abu Dhabi's economy. The launch of Ra'idah's second edition reflects our ongoing commitment to creating practical, high-impact platforms that enable women entrepreneurs to grow with confidence, scale with intention, and lead with influence.”

In order to keep up with the ever-changing dynamics of the business world, the new Year Two program has been specially designed to meet the challenges that the contemporary business environment poses.

Bassel Kakish, CEO, Publicis Groupe Middle East & Türkiye, said, “Our partnership with the Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council brings together two commitments we hold equally: investing in the growth of small businesses, and creating real pathways for women to build their skills, visibility, and confidence. The second edition of Ra’idah goes deeper on both. We want founders to leave with capabilities they can put to work immediately, and we want the women in this programme to feel the difference that genuine access and support can make."

Trainees will get training in leadership skills, marketing strategies, application of artificial intelligence, content creation, personal branding, planning paid media campaigns, and campaign development. These sessions would be conducted by industry experts from Publicis Groupe, who would bring into the programme their expertise in Communications, Digital Media, Creative Strategy, Technology and Artificial Intelligence.